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Forum Discussion
PLW1000v2 significantly decreased internet speed.
I have had this Powerline adapter PLW1000v2 for about a year not and it has never given me any problems, I use it mainly for the ethernet cable since my main router is in a different room. It has always worked perfectly giving me about 80-90% of the original router's speed (300mbps); however, starting 2 days ago it started giving me only 15-20mbps instead. Nothing was changed at all, not in the main router, not in the adapter, not in the computer, nowhere. I have tried switching outlets, devices, ethernet cable (although the wifi extension has the same issue) yet nothing works. I assumed it was a firmware update so I tried logging on to update it but it says I am "not connected to my extender" but I am. I have also tried this on multiple devices, still says the same thing.
5 Replies
After further testing, I am sure the issue is with the power line adapter itself, I switched outlets and all the lights stay turned on in the source, but the adapter's "Pick a plug LED" light stays either off or red no matter where I put it. I tried calling customer support but I am not paying $90 for a scam, it is cheaper for me to buy a new one, but if I do it sure won't be from netgear.
LucianoPN wrote:
I tried calling customer support but I am not paying $90 for a scam, it is cheaper for me to buy a new one, but if I do it sure won't be from netgear.
There is no free support after the first 90 days.
And it could well be a scam if you called a number you found with a Google search.
How do I identify an official NETGEAR website or social media account? - NETGEAR Support
If you do get some new plugs, you should find that they are compatible with what you have now. Most recent Powerline devices follow the AV standard, which means that you can mix different makes and different generations. The only issue if that if you add "1000" plugs to a network with "500" plugs, or vice versa, they will talk to each other at the speed of the slowest plugs on the network.
Remember, you need only one "source" plug connected to the router.When adding new plugs to an existing network, you need to follow this advice:
>>> Adding a powerline adapter to an existing powerline network <<<
One other thing to consider, in theory you can mix brands but it isn't always easy to get set them up.
I know it is the official number, I just said scam because that is essentially what it is. Charging that much for a simple problem that happened because of their hardware is absurd.
Also, I do not think plugs are the issue. I have been using this same exact setup with 0 change for the past year and never had a problem, one day I woke up and it simply was not working properly anymore. Absolutely nothing changed at all, 0. One day the "Pick a plug LED" light was simply off, I tried changing outlets multiple times and even connecting them next to each other and still no light. I have no idea what to do because like I said, absolutely nothing changed. That is why I am pretty sure it is a hardware issue.
LucianoPN wrote:
I assumed it was a firmware update so I tried logging on to update it but it says I am "not connected to my extender" but I am. I have also tried this on multiple devices, still says the same thing.
Firmware is for the wifi bit of the Powerline plug. The Ethernet plug doesn't use it. (Note that there are no firmware updates for the PL1000v2.) You need a wifi connection to the PLW plug to update that bit.
Did your experiments include putting the "remote" plug in the same room as the "host" (router) plug?
Powerline depends a lot on the quality of the mains network. Plug in something electrically noisy and it will mess up the connection.
